A heat treater in Greenville, South Carolina, Solar Atmospheres, will receive a vacuum furnace from its sister company in Sellersville, Pennsylvania. The 12 foot horizontal, car bottom-loading vacuum furnace is capable of processing up to 50,000 lbs of material.
The sister company providing the furnace, Solar Manufacturing, has it painted and ready to go. Check out the video that they posted on Twitter to see preparations for the vacuum furnace’s shipment.
North American commercial heat treater installs their sixth all-metal hot zone furnace at their Souderton plant in Eastern PA. This is Solar Atmospheres' sixth all-metal hot zone furnace installation, and the fourth for their climate-controlled room.
The furnace is a new Mentor model, built by sister company Solar Manufacturing, has a working zone of 12” x 12” x 18”, and is the first of its kind. The additional furnace increases the heat treater's capacity for processing sensitive materials such as PH stainless, nickel-based superalloys, titanium, and ferritic/austenitic stainless steels, yet focuses on smaller lots and one-off items. The furnace makes it possible to reap the benefits of an all-metal furnace while minimizing the overall cost.
Heat TreatTodayoffers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry.
Equipment Chatter
Vacuum and Atmosphere Services (VAS) Ltd., located in the UK, sold a refurbished Ipsen VVFC 60×60.
Graphalloy announces their new Graphalloy® Pillow Block and Flange Block Catalog for high temperature applications.
Heat Treating Services Unlimited, Inc. (HTSU) deployed C3 Data technology to heat treat customers across the United States.
Kyle Favors, President of Heat Treat Services Unlimited, Inc.
Graphalloy® Pillow Block and Flange Block Catalog
Personnel Chatter
Alder Moldenhauer, President of Vectorr Industries, an outside sales representative to AFC-Holcroft
AFC-Holcroft announced the addition of Vectorr Industries to their outside sales representative network. Located in Buffalo, New York, Vectorr Industries will support AFC-Holcroft customers within Western New York, Oregon, Washington, and Canada (excluding Ontario). Adler Moldenhauer is president of the company.
Tom Hart returned to SECO/Vacuum to Product Manager, Vacuum Furnaces, having previously worked at the team as a sales engineer.
Super Systems Inc. announced the movement within the company: Jim Oakes from Vice President of Business Development to President; Bob Fincken to Vice President of Salesfor North America; and Steve Thompson, Super Systems President, is moving to the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Andy Martin joins Sales Team at Graphite Metallizing and will be responsible for Australia and New Zealand markets.
Tom Hart, Product Manager, SECO/VACUUM
Nitrex welcomes Ali Emre Akgunes as its new manufacturer representative in Romania and Turkey. Akgunes brings decades of experience in sales and business development to his new role at Nitrex, where he will lead sales initiatives and guide new business growth for Nitrex and member companies G-M Enterprises and UPC-Marathon.
Solar Manufacturing announced that Aaron Ackerman of Met-Pro, Inc. will assume the role of Sales Representative for Michigan.
Hubbard-Hall Inc. announced the promotion of Ted Saltzman to Business Development Manager and the hiring of Andre Depew as Product Manager of Metal Coloring.
Jim Oakes, President, Super Systems, Inc.
Steve Thompson, CEO of Super Systems, Inc.
Bob Finken, Vice President of Sales for North America, Super Systems, Inc.
Andy Martin joined Sales Team at Graphite Metallizing
Mr. Ali Emre Akgunes, Nitrex's new manufacturer representative in Romania and Turkey
Aaron Ackerman, Met-Pro, Inc. to assume the role of Sales Representative for Michigan on behalf of Solar Manufacturing
Ted Saltzman, Business Development Manager, Hubbard-Hall
Andre Depew, Product Manager of Metal Coloring, Hubbard-Hall
Company Chatter
Peters’ Heat Treating grows its plant operation, moving its headquarters into a newly expanded Meadville, Pennsylvania facility. Read more.
Nitrex Heat Treating Services continues its expansion program at their Aurora, Illinois commercial heat treat facility, located just west of Chicago. Read more.
Solar Atmospheres reaffirms their commitment to safety with new safety features, particularly for calibrations, being implemented to all existing furnaces.
Nitrex announces that they are in Phase II of the Polish facility expansion, indicating that they are on schedule with the foundation complete and framing underway. This expansion will add 21,500 square feet (over 2000 m2) of new space to the existing building, which will double production capacity and support future growth. The expansion project is expected to be complete in Q1 2021.
Kittyhawk ProductsOR LLC completed the installation of another hot isostatic press with a working zone of 46” x 100".
Ribbon Cutting with the Owners: Doug and Jackie Peters, Diana Wilkosz (VP), and Andy Wilkosz (President) (photo source: Peters' Heat Treating, Inc.)
Solar Atmospheres reaffirms their commitment to safety.
Nitrex's Polish Facility expands
Kitty Hawk Image 1
Kittyhawk Image 2
Kudos Chatter
The US Air Force and Boeing X-37B autonomous spaceplane has won the Robert J. Collier Trophy for the greatest American achievements in aeronautics and astronautics of 2019.
The Grieve Corporation launched an updated website featuring a user-friendly catalogue and ordering system among other new features and enhancements to existing capabilities.
US Air Force and Boeing X-37B autonomous spaceplane won the Robert J. Collier Trophy.
The Grieve Corporation updated its website.
Heat TreatToday is pleased to join in the announcements of growth and achievement throughout the industry by highlighting them here on our News Chatter page. Please send any information you feel may be of interest to manufacturers with in-house heat treat departments especially in the aerospace, automotive, medical, and energy sectors to editor@heattreattoday.com
Heat TreatTV pulls the best heat treat videos from the web for your viewing, and today Heat Treat TV highlights Solar Atmospheres.
As a commercial heat treater, Solar Atmospheres is dedicated to providing vacuum heat treating and brazing services of the highest possible quality and meeting the expectations of their customers. They seek to educate their customers and will design a heat treating process that fits their needs.
This video demonstrates what a commercial heat treater considers when processing parts, including explaining why a heat treater chooses some methods over others. Topics mentioned in the presentation are brazing, carburizing, and nitriding as well as post-heat treat processing, vacuum brazing, vacuum carburizing, and vacuum gas nitriding.
Click here for more information on Solar Atmospheres.
If you have a video you’d like included on Heat TreatTV, please send an email to editor@HeatTreatToday.com and include a link to the video.
Solar Atmospheres of Western PA (SAWPA) will expand their material hardening repertoire by adding vacuum oil quench (VOQ) capabilities. The decision to go with a vacuum oil quench was influenced by serious concerns for the environmental and furnace operator safety. The Safety & Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) provides standards for health and safety, some of which caused Solar Atmospheres to question heat treating processes that utilize explosive endothermic gases and flammable open oil quench tanks. As a result of these concerns, Solar Manufacturing and Solar Atmospheres commenced engineering meetings in 2019 to design and build a US-manufactured, safe and quality VOQ.
Solar Atmospheres Vacuum Oil Quench Furnace (Photo source: Solar Atmospheres)
Early this week, Bob Hill, president, SAWPA, Hermitage, PA, announced that the company had purchased and will install a new 36” x 36” x 48” VOQ furnace capable of safely quenching 2,000-pound loads without carbon potential concerns. The furnace, the first of its kind manufactured by Solar Manufacturing, Sellersville, PA, will be operational in early 2021.
Additionally, SAWPA is constructing a 15,000 square foot building to make room for the VOQ furnace line. Besides the VOQ furnace, the line also includes a parts washer, two tempering furnaces, and a charge car. The building expansion will be completed mid-summer 2020 making the entire SAWPA complex 120,000 square feet under one roof.
Solar Atmospheres of Souderton, PA, has received a new, state-of-the-art vacuum gas nitriding furnace to support an increasing demand for high-value gas nitriding. The furnace was built by sister company, Solar Manufacturing.
The front-loading furnace incorporates the latest nitriding and recipe system from Solar Manufacturing. The automated control system is useful for single stage as well as two-stage (Floe) processing. All hot zone components are made completely of graphitic materials inert to the anhydrous ammonia used during the nitriding process.
Roger Jones, FASM–CEO Emeritus, Solar Atmospheres (source: Solar Atmospheres)
Heat Treat Today’s Medical and Heat Treating December 2019 issue featured an article on medical alloys.Heat Treat Today asked Roger Jones, CEO Emeritus of Solar Atmospheres, Inc., to comment on how specialty medical metals are heat treated. These include titanium, niobium, tantalum, nitinol, and copper, to name a few, which in turn are used to create such standard medical devices and equipment as diagnostic guide wires, miniscule screws for implants, complex surgical tools that are operated robotically, and more. Read to see how Roger describes the hot zone and conditions under which medical device alloys are heat treated.
Vacuum furnace chambers processing titanium, niobium, chrome cobalt, and other medical device alloys are typically constructed from stainless steel. The hot zones are comprised entirely of metal (moly); graphite materials are never used in the construction of the hot zone or in fixturing parts. These furnaces process medical device alloys exclusively to avoid cross-contamination of the hot zone or the medical parts being treated.
Ultimate vacuum levels should be 1 X 10-6 Torr or better, with leak rates no greater than 2 microns Hg per hour. Gas system isolation valves aid in achieving tight vacuum, as they eliminate constant pumping on the quench system. Vacuum furnace leak up procedures are performed weekly, as well as a bake out at 2400 °F for one hour.
Horizontal, front-loading vacuum furnace with all-metal hot zone in a cleanroom setting typically used for heat treatment of medical alloys and devices (source: Solar Atmosphere)
Because of the alloys processed, cooling gases are mainly high purity argon from a liquid source. Very seldom is nitrogen used for cooling. Either type K or type N Inconel clad work thermocouples are imbedded in the loads for precise temperature readouts at +/- 10 °F or better. Processes include vacuum annealing, aging, stress relieving, solution treating, hardening, tempering, and other special processing. All furnaces are approved to the MedAccred quality standard, are surveyed to AMS 2750E, and comply with AS9100D in their processing parameters. Because the alloys are thermally treated, the vacuum furnaces operate in an air conditioned clean room with controlled temperatures and humidity levels.
Heat Treat Today offers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry.
Personnel & Company Chatter
Bill Gornicki was recently appointed Director of Sales at ECM-USA, Inc. in Pleasant Prairie, WI.
AFC-Holcroft, in Wixom, MI, recently moved its European satellite office from Delémont, Switzerland, to Swiebodzin, Poland, as necessitated by the retirement of their Director of European Operations. The new director, Marek Kedzierzynski, will be based out of Poland.
Wire ExpertsGroup, the parent company to Pelican Wire and Rubadue Wire, recently announced the newest members of their leadership team and their respective roles: Brinson White will now lead the Engineering & Maintenance teams at both Pelican and Rubadue as WEG Director of Engineering; Mike Skorupa has been named Director of Continuous Improvement across all business units; and Kevin Clements has been named Global Supply Chain Manager.
RETECH Systems, LLC, a SECO/WARWICK Group company, has finalized plans to relocate its headquarters from Ukiah, CA, to Buffalo, NY.
Charlie Li, of DANTE Solutions, began teaching a new master-level Mechanical Engineering class entitled “Advanced Manufacturing Processes: Heat Treatment of Steels” at Cleveland State University.
Bill Gornicki, Director of Sales, ECM-USA
Brinson White, Director of Engineering, Wire Experts Group.
Mike Skorupa, Director of Continuous Improvement, Wire Experts Group
Kevin Clements, Global Supply Chain Manager, Wire Experts Group
Charlie Li, DANTE Solutions
Marek Kedzierzynski, Director of European Operations, AFC-Holcroft
Equipment Chatter
Solar Atmospheres has purchased two microscopes, one a ZEISS AxioVert A1 Inverted Materials Microscope and the other a a Hitachi smart Scanning Electron Microscope, to enable them to better serve the needs of their customers.
Magnetic Specialties, Inc. recently shipped two 510KVA, three phase step down 6-pulse rectifier transformers and DC inductors for use in industrial rectifier applications.
The Grieve Corporation recently installed their new electrically-heated 2000°F inert atmosphere heavy-duty box furnace to be used for heat treating titanium at a customer’s facility.
Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems recently commissioned a model CVPQ Continuous Vacuum Furnace with 5 BAR pressure quench capabilities, and a precision gas nitriding and ferritic nitrocarburizing furnace, in the Midwestern United States.
Ipsen USA offers free evaluations of any brand of vacuum heat-treating system in the United States. An Ipsen Customer Service team member will check all major components of the furnace and provide a written health report with a suggested 18-month maintenance plan.
Tenova recently received the official notice to proceed with the new Hot Dip Galvanizing (HDG) line for NLMK Group in Lipetsk, Russia.
Pries Enterprises finished a 50,000 sq ft expansion and installation of a state-of-the-art anodizing line, making them the only vertically integrated extruder-anodizer fabricator in their immediate area.
ZEISS AxioVert A1 Inverted Materials Microscope
A Hitachi smart Scanning Electron Microscope
510KVA, three phase step down 6-pulse rectifier transformer and DC inductor
Inert atmosphere heavy-duty box furnace
Continuous Vacuum Furnace (model CVPQ) with 5 BAR pressure quench capabilities
Precision Gas Nitriding and Ferritic Nitrocarburizing Furnace
Ipsen offers free furnace evaluations
Kudos Chatter
Grupo Mess was recently named an exclusive Buehler distributor of metallographic and hardness equipment in Mexico.
Aerospace Testing & Pyrometry recently announced the opening of their newest regional office in Greenville, SC. The territory will include North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama.
Constellium SE was recently recognized with the “Best Performer Award” by Airbus.
Advanced Heat Treat Corp. recently announced that it has added gas nitriding to its Nadcap® accreditation.
Grupo Mess
Heat Treat Today is pleased to join in the announcements of growth and achievement throughout the industry by highlighting them here on our News Chatter page. Please send any information you feel may be of interest to manufacturers with in-house heat treat departments especially in the aerospace, automotive, medical, and energy sectors to editor@heattreattoday.com
Heat Treat Today offers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry.
Personnel & Company Chatter
Mike Smith has joined Magnetic Specialties, Inc. as their new Business Development Manager.
Ipsen USA has announced the completion of its 2019 Corporate Academy class, which is part of an initiative to grow service capacity globally. Seven graduates will step into positions as field service engineers after several months of training and passing their final exam.
Tom Gundic recently joined Solar Atmospheres’ facility in Greenville, South Carolina, as their new plant manager.
Isostatic Toll Services Bilbao is pleased to announce the official opening of its new plant in Abanto-Zierbena, Spain, on January 29th.
Heating Furnace at Uddeholm AB, which is taking part in the electrical heating project
The Swedish Energy Agency has granted a new project that will explore the possibilities of electrifying heating processes. It will evaluate the potential of replacing gas-fired furnaces with electrically heated furnaces for material heating. Kanthal, part of the Sandvik Group, is taking part in the project.
Sean Toland has taken on the position of executive Vice President of Operations for Wire Experts Group, the parent company to Pelican Wire and Rubadue Wire, the second of which Toland is already serving as president.
NSA Industries, a provider of metal fabrication, machining, powder coating, and assembly operation, has acquired VitexExtrusion, a provider of aluminum extrusions, machining, and fabrication services for solar and automobile customers.
Jon K. Tabor is retiring from the position of Chairman Emeritus of Allied Mineral Products effective March 31, 2020. He will remain on Allied’s Board of Directors.
Vincent Esteve has been promoted to Business Development Manager at the ECM USA, Inc. subsidiary in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.
Mike Smith, Business Development Manager, Magnetic Energies, Inc.
Tom Gundic, Plant Manager, Solar Atmospheres
Sean Toland, Executive Vice President of Operations, Wire Experts Group
Vincent Esteve, Business Development Manager, ECM USA
Jon K. Tabor, Chairman Emeritus, Allied Mineral Products
Equipment Chatter
Wisconsin Oven has shipped a Natural Gas (Direct) Fired Continuous Duty Conveyor Oven to an American manufacturer to be used for stress relieving steel snap rings used in automotive parts.
L&L Special Furnace Co, Inc. has shipped five model GS1714 furnaces to a worldwide leading manufacturer of chemicals and chemical coating products located in the Midwestern US.
Tenova LOI Thermprocess recently received an order from Joint Stock Company Pervouralsk Pipe Plant in Russia for a new roller hearth continuous furnace system for bright annealing stainless steel pipes in a 100% H2 atmosphere.
Lindberg/MPH announced the shipment of two Electrically Heated Nitrogen Atmosphere Pit Furnaces to the automotive industry for the purpose of heat treating automotive parts.
Natural Gas (Direct) Fired Continuous Duty Conveyor Oven
GS1714 Bench mounted box furnace
Roller hearth continuous furnace system
Electrically heated atmosphere pit furnace
Kudos Chatter
Kittyhawk Products OR LLC has been awarded Nadcap® accreditation for Heat Treating/Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP). Kittyhawk Inc has held Nadcap® accreditation since 2014.
From Left to Right: Quality manager, AM/NS Calvert, Bobbie Hesley; GM supplier quality engineer, Mark Wu; AM/NS Calvert CEO, Jorge Oliveira and team members from the AM/NS hot dip galvanizing lines.
ArcelorMittal USA was recently honored with the General Motors Supplier Quality Excellence Award for three production facilities: AM/NS Calvert, Calvert, AL; Indiana Harbor; and I/N Tek and I/N Kote, New Carlisle, IN.
Heat Treat Today is pleased to join in the announcements of growth and achievement throughout the industry by highlighting them here on our News Chatter page. Please send any information you feel may be of interest to manufacturers with in-house heat treat departments especially in the aerospace, automotive, medical, and energy sectors to editor@heattreattoday.com
Gulfstream recently awarded Solar Atmospheres of Western Pennsylvania with material processing specification approvals for GAMPS 5101 and 5102. Specification GAMPS 5101 relates to the heat treatment of low alloy steels and GAMPS 5102 is associated with the annealing and precipitation hardening of PH stainless steel. Compliance to these two specifications are important to ensure that flight-critical raw materials and parts are heat treated and tested properly.
Michael Johnson, Sales Manager Solar Atmospheres of Western PA
“This prime approval not only gives our current customer base permission to use our location for thermal processing of Gulfstream components, it also gives them the ability to run larger loads of 40,000 – 60,000 lbs. at a time, due to our large furnace sizes,” stated Michael Johnson, Sales Manager. “The larger loads reduce the number of certifications, furnace charts, and mechanical testing documentation that is typically required post heat treating.”
A heat treater in Greenville, South Carolina, Solar Atmospheres, will receive a vacuum furnace from its sister company in Sellersville, Pennsylvania. The 12 foot horizontal, car bottom-loading vacuum furnace is capable of processing up to 50,000 lbs of material.
